FEMA Diverted Masks From Veterans Hospitals, VA Official Says

[turbinetree]

Source: Talking Points Memo

By Matt Shuham

April 25, 2020 5:00 p.m.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency diverted masks from veterans hospitals and into the government's emergency stockpile, the executive in charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs claimed Saturday.


Health care workers at VA hospitals have for weeks warned of severely inadequate stocks of personal protective equipment. And in an interview with The Washington Post, the VA's Executive in Charge Richard Stone pointed the finger at FEMA.

The agency, Stone told the Post, had directed vendors with VA orders to instead send equipment to FEMA for the federal stockpile of such supplies.

"I had 5 million masks incoming that disappeared," Stone told the Post. Some VA hospitals, Stone acknowledged, are now on "austerity levels."

This post has been updated.

Correction: This post erroneously referred to Dr. Richard Stone as the executive in charge of FEMA. He is the executive in charge of the VA.


Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/fema-diverted-masks-from-veterans-hospitals-va-official-says

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Some one should be charged for willful negligence and reckless endangerment........and just add pre-mediated murder.....at the state level towards these assholes and Kushner and anyone else that is involved, these front line people maybe federal employees but they live in the state(s) that this happening in............... this is just fucking outrageous and there are statutes, that protect these human beings..........I want to know which state attorney general is going to be the first one to step in on this matter pronto.................

[iluvtennis]

1. Disgusting. Neglient homicide by trumpty dumpty/his admin. nt

[bluestarone]

2. BASTARDS!

Come on NOVEMBER!!!!!!

[SheltieLover]

3. Indeed, they belong in prison!

I hope this circulates in the military community!

Military folks always seem to confuse repukes love of arms manufacturers with respect and appreciation of the military forces. I hope the majority realizes before Nov this is flawed thinking.

[TeamPooka]

4. Trump hates veterans that had the courage to serve when he did not.

[ananda]

5. Trump pretty much hates everybody and everything.

He's such a malignant asshole and abuser.

Anyone who tolerates him has abusee syndrome.

[pazzyanne]

8. On social media,

when I come across trumpers supporting the pos, I recommend that they enroll in a co-dependency workshop. Get a lot of likes and some interesting feedback from the trumpers. LOL

[keithbvadu2]

13. "courage to serve"?

"I feel like a great and very brave soldier"

[SWBTATTReg]

6. My ? is where were the original masks and PPE that was stored there to begin w/?

Did rump and cronies steal all of it and sell it on the 2nd hand market? There needs to be some serious investigating and if need be, some jail time for those that stole the items for their own personal use. And what right does FEMA have in stealing others' masks? Why don't they buy their f**king own masks?

[pazzyanne]

9. The trump administration needs inventory to send overseas.

We have one of the worst and deadliest COVID-19 infestations in the world, and he is sending our stockpile overseas.

[Hestia]

12. Yes, from what Rachel intimated the last couple of weeks (no one knows for sure)

it seems that as soon IQ45 got the word about the virus, Jared started sending order to FEMA to do an inventory and sell everything to China in January. When China receives the goods, they turn around and resell to US at inflated prices. They owe millions to a Chinese Bank, must be their way of paying the vig.

If 45 can't be arrested, why in the world is Jared and Co not? Is this why 45 doesn't declare a National State of Emergency, due to War Profiteering?

I hope like hell someone is investigating. It is so hard to believe Congress has no power to do anything, so they just throw up their hands and go on media proclamating (I know, not a real word but it's new). This shit is getting old.

I hope everyone remembers this when the pendulum swings back, there is no there to listen to. We get to run free reign and make real laws.

[Scarsdale]

21. The members of the Armed Services Committee

should be protecting the VA hospitals, and their supplies. Kushner is not an elected official. Haul his scrawny ass in front of the committee, ask WHERE he is selling these supplies?

[Cha]

7. Jesus!

[NotHardly]

10. Seriously, those f**kers from any Fed Agency (FEMA, FBI, HHS, whoever) need to be

arrested, jailed, and tried for homicide... Homicide is the intentional harming of another human being and it seems that when you take materials away from those who need it and deprive them of safety and security of their lives that calls for a trial... and then a nice old fashioned hanging.

[summer_in_TX]

22. Limiting the doling out of PPEs and ventilators to the blue states with the highest

need seems to me to be designed to leverage pressure on the governors to not threaten any kind of legal investigation.

Red states may be getting a higher percentage, as several indicators suggest. They have no reason to investigate and pursue criminal charges.

It would not surprise me to find that Trump's demand that they not criticize him is keeping governors from unleashing about that.

Anyone know if the VA Health Systems admin is an appointee? Whichever, glad he is raising the issue.

[dhill926]

11. not to restate this tiresome point....

but imagine if Obama did this....yep....

[James48]

14. Error in fact:

Last edited Sat Apr 25, 2020, 09:10 PM - Edit history (1)

Dr. Richard Stone is NOT the Executive in charge of the VA. That would be VA Secretary Robert Wilkie.

The VA is divided up into three parts.

1. The VA Health Administration. (Does Health Care).

2. The VA Benefits Administration (Does benefits including educational, disability, and home loan assistance, among other benefits)

3. VA Cemetery Administration (All the Federal Veterans Cemeteries across the USA)

Dr. Stone is head of VA Health Administration.

[Karadeniz]

15. Can these people be sued?

[seta1950]

16. Very upsetting

What I’d like to know is what are they doing with the supplies they’re stealing?
I bet they’re selling it

[sakabatou]

17. WTF is FEMA doing?!

[Haggis for Breakfast]

24. FEMA is doing what trumpie and his minions tell them to do.

They are just like any other federal agency. They take their orders from the president.

A reporter should ask him why he ordered this. If he says he didn't, then they should tell him apparently that he;s not in charge anymore, and then ask "Who is ?"

[Warpy]

18. A few asses have to be dragged into the hot seat in the House

This has nothing to do with national security. This is outright theft and public endangerment.

That little prick Jared especially needs to answer a lot of questions. Hard ones. Nowhere to hide.

[c-rational]

19. Should I even ask why this is not getting more mainstream coverage, and why we do not have any

explanations. Is it fear of the Dumpster's administration or cowardice of the media.

[Historic NY]

20. I have friends at Bay Pines Va and home in Florida

Bay Pine Veterans Hospital, Maderia Beach Florida the have to use the same stuff for over a week, then they try to sanitize them with an in house operation. Some place extra gauze pads into the mask. People from up here send them PPE . Its a large facility.


[link:https://www.baypines.va.gov/|]

[IronLionZion]

23. Time for Veterans to turn against him

[Haggis for Breakfast]

25. MANY of us never supported him in the first place.

[IronLionZion]

26. Let's get some more to join you

considering how badly he's failed them

[Turbineguy]

27. According to trump supporters

American veterans always fought on the wrong side.

[turbinetree]

28. Isn't that the truth...................Yepper, spot on....................